Every evening at 6 p.m. in Seoul’s Dongdaemun district office, the “quitting time song” plays. The song “Let’s Go Home” by the rock band Super Kidd urges, “Let’s all go home together, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, let’s go home! Let’s go home! Let’s go home!” When it starts, even the youngest public officials, known as the “2030 generation,” promptly gather their belongings and leave. A new recruit suggested it during a meeting with Mayor Lee Phil-hyung, saying, “If the quitting time song plays every day, everyone can leave work promptly without feeling pressured.”
In March, Jeju Island launched the “another office” system, similar to startups, becoming the first province in the country to do so. This allows officials to work from locations like the International Convention Center Jeju in Seogwipo, Halla Library, and the Museum of Jeju Literature instead of the provincial office. Governor Oh Young-hoon said, “I started this to enable MZ (Millennial and Gen Z) officials to focus on their tasks rather than dealing with complaints, and the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.”
Nationwide, local government leaders strive to engage with MZ officials. With a growing number of MZ officials leaving public service prematurely due to disappointment, local leaders are taking proactive measures. Traditional meetings, known as “suggestions meetings” or “consultation meetings,” where candid discussions are challenging, are a thing of the past. Instead, they address minor suggestions like playing the quitting time song and introducing initiatives such as “backpacking trips with colleagues” or “rookie awards.”
Seoul’s Guro district office holds a monthly birthday celebration on the first Wednesday of each month. Mayor Moon Hun-il personally brings a rice cake and leads a birthday song for 50 to 60 officials celebrating their birthdays that month. Moon even attends their weddings. “Every time I meet their parents, I firmly grasp their hands and express gratitude for entrusting their precious sons and daughters to us. I promise to take good care of them,” he said.
District leaders are also carefully considering communication methods with MZ officials. Seoul’s Eunpyeong district will launch a KakaoTalk private chat room for officials in grades 7 to 9 next month. Mayor Kim Mi-kyung explained, “Since MZ staff members are averse to face-to-face meetings, we opted for anonymous discussions through a private chat room.” Mapo district has also established a “communication bell” section in its internal community, enabling the mayor to communicate one-on-one with MZ officials.
In Daegu, there are “four abstentions” rules, which prohibit practices like offering rice cakes to colleagues during personnel reshuffling periods, impromptu gatherings, signaling vacation plans, and sharing emergency contact networks. The city’s Dong district has established an MBTI counseling room, which has received many applications from MZ officials.
Some places have adapted their personnel systems for young officials. Seoul’s Jung-gu district introduced “rookie awards” for new officials this year, creating an award for recruits before the usual three-year eligibility period. Dongdaemun district recently removed all employee photos and names from their district office website, responding to staff resignations prompted by malicious complaints. In Daejeon, the authority to approve vacations was lowered from grade 4 (section chief level) to grade 5 (team leader level), enabling MZ employees to take vacations more comfortably without feeling pressured by superiors.
Local government leaders need to launch a major campaign to retain MZ officials as the trend of young officials leaving continues. According to data from the Seoul Metropolitan Government obtained by Ok Jae-eun, a member of the Seoul Metropolitan Council from the People Power Party, the resignation rate of officials with five years of service or less in Seoul and its districts surged from 4.7% in 2019 to 8.6% in 2022. Nine out of 100 MZ officials submit their resignations within five years. According to a report released by the National Assembly Research Service in February, 81.7% of officials who retired in the past five years (within 10 years of service) were recruits.
